Two Barbour County men have been arrested by officers investigating a string of diesel fuel thefts.

Billy Faulk and Anthony Beacham, both of Louisville, Ala., have been charged with unlawful breaking and entering of a motor vehicle and theft of property, third degree, after authorities say they stole approximately 80 gallons of diesel fuel from a truck.

“The Greenville Police Department along with the Alabama Department of Forestry have been conducting a joint investigation into recent diesel fuel thefts that have occurred in the county and city over the last few months,” Lt. Justin Lovvorn said. “There have been several instances where unknown individuals have trespassed onto private property and siphoned diesel fuel out of heavy machinery and trucks. The Greenville Police Department became aware of the problem just over a month ago when one particular location within the city limits began to have diesel fuel stolen out of a truck three different times. Most of the other thefts were occurring in the county.  We met with investigators from the forestry commission and set up a strategy to try and help catch the persons responsible.”

On Friday, just after 1 a.m., authorities say a forestry investigator reported a suspicious vehicle in an area where the diesel fuel theft had been occurring inside the city limits.

Officers with the Greenville Police Department located the suspicious vehicle in the Walmart parking lot. The two men were inside the vehicle.

After being questioned by investigators, both men confessed to stealing the fuel.

A siphoning hose was also found inside the suspects’ vehicle.

Both men are being held in the Butler County Correctional Facility.

The investigation remains open.

“We do not believe that these two individuals were the only ones involved with the past thefts,” Lovvorn said. “We expect to make additional arrests and possibly have additional charges on the two individuals that are already in custody.”

Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact the Greenville Police Department at (334) 382-7461 and ask for an investigator.